Best free workout tracker for iPhone in 2026

I made RepCount. You know that. What you might not know is how differently workout apps treat their free users — and how much some of them lock behind a paywall.

Free tiers vary a lot in this space. Some give you three routines. Some cap your custom exercises. Some limit how far back you can see your own stats. They're all solid apps with good reasons for their pricing — but it's worth understanding what you're getting before you invest months of workout history.

I built RepCount's free tier to be a complete workout logger: unlimited workouts, unlimited routines, unlimited custom exercises, no ads. Premium unlocks deeper analytics and advanced features for $29.99/year — that's what keeps the lights on, pays for servers, and lets me keep shipping updates. But I designed the split so the free tier stands on its own. Here's how it compares.

Quick comparison

What you actually need from a free workout tracker

Before comparing feature lists, here's what actually matters when you're standing in the gym between sets.

Fast logging. No paywall should stand between you and logging a set. You're sweaty, you're breathing hard, your rest timer is running. If the app makes you navigate around locked features or dismiss upgrade prompts, it's wasting your time.

See what you did last time. Progressive overload means beating your last session. You need to see that you squatted 100kg for 5 reps last Tuesday, so you can try 102.5kg or aim for 6 reps today. This is the core job of a workout tracker, and it shouldn't require a subscription.

Your exercises, your routines, your way. You should be able to name exercises the way you think about them, organize your training into as many routines as you need, and not run into an artificial cap three weeks in. Customization shouldn't be a premium feature.

Most apps gate at least one of these behind a paywall. RepCount doesn't.

RepCount: what you get without paying

RepCount's free tier is a complete workout logger. You can create unlimited routines, add unlimited custom exercises, and log unlimited workouts. Your last session is pre-filled for every exercise — open the app, see what you did, load the bar, try to beat it. No ads. No banners. No upgrade nags between sets.

It's a fully native app on both iOS and Android. Not a hybrid framework, not a web wrapper. A proper iOS app built with Swift and a proper Android app built with Kotlin. That means it's fast, responsive, and stays current with each platform's latest design language.

What's not in free: detailed statistics and charts (estimated 1RM trends, volume over time, personal records across rep ranges), supersets, and drop sets. That's premium, at $29.99/year.

Here's my thinking on this split: logging your workouts and seeing your last session is the core job. That's how you get stronger — try to beat what you did last time. The majority of RepCount users never pay us anything, and that's fine. The free tier is a complete tool, not a demo. Charts and PR tracking let you zoom out and see the bigger picture over months and years — some people love that, some never feel the need. Premium exists for lifters who want that extra layer, and it's what funds development for everyone.

Where competitors lock the basics

Strong

Strong is a well-known, solid tracker. Like RepCount, it's focused on the core job of logging lifts, and it does that well. They have an Apple Watch app, a plate calculator, and a good exercise library.

The free version limits you to 3 routines. That sounds like enough until you start rotating programs — a push/pull/legs split, a deload week template, a quick travel workout. You hit the ceiling fast. Charts and progress graphs are also locked to premium, so you can log your workouts but can't visualize your progress without paying.

Premium is $29.99/year — the same price as RepCount. At that price point, it comes down to which app fits how you train.

Hevy

Hevy has grown massively, claiming over 10 million users. Their social features are the best in the category — if you want to follow friends, share workouts, and be part of a community, Hevy is the app for that. They've built an impressive platform with Apple Watch support, a web app, and a personal training platform.

The free tier gives you 4 routines and 7 custom exercises. Four routines covers a single training program, say an upper/lower split or a 4-day push/pull/legs rotation. But the moment you want to start a new program, you'll have to delete old ones or pay. The custom exercise cap is sneakier. If your gym has a cable machine with an unusual name, or you do a squat variation that's not in their library, or you just prefer to name exercises your own way, you burn through 7 custom slots faster than you'd think.

Stats beyond 3 months are also locked. You won't notice the wall until you've been training long enough to actually want to look back at your progress — by which point you're invested in the app.

To their credit, social features are free, and premium is the cheapest in the category at $23.99/year or $99 lifetime.

JEFIT

JEFIT has the most comprehensive exercise library in the space — over 1,400 exercises with instructions and animations. If you're a beginner who wants guidance on form, or you rotate through many exercise variations, this is a genuine advantage.

The free tier comes with ads, which means banner space competing for your attention between sets — exactly when you need the screen to be clean and scannable. Stats are limited to the last 14 days, which is about two weeks of training. That's not a meaningful window for tracking progress — it's barely enough to see your last workout for each exercise if you run a standard split.

The app has a lot of features, but many are locked behind their Elite subscription at $69.99/year. The experience on free often feels like it's steering you toward upgrading.

StrengthLog

StrengthLog is a fellow Swedish-built app, and credit where it's due — their free tier is generous. You get unlimited routines, exercises, and workouts with no ads, plus some basic charts and statistics.

But when you do hit the paywall, the jump is steep: $16.99/month or $109/year. That's nearly four times what RepCount, Strong, or Hevy charge for premium. Their best features — coach-written training programs and advanced charts — are what's behind that wall.

This is worth thinking about before you commit. You might train happily on the free tier for months, build up a training history, and then realize the feature you want costs $109/year to unlock. If you think you'll eventually want premium features, factor in the long-term cost before investing your workout data.

What about completely free apps?

FitNotes deserves a mention. It's genuinely 100% free on Android — no premium tier, no ads, no catch. If you're on Android and want a simple, no-frills tracker, it works and has a loyal user base.

But there's a trade-off to completely free that's worth understanding before you commit your training data to it.

When an app has no revenue model, the developer has no financial reason to keep investing in it. FitNotes has looked essentially the same for years. Updates are infrequent. There's no cross-platform sync — your data lives on your device, and if you switch phones or want to move from Android to iOS, you're on your own. There's no cloud backup that just works, because servers cost money and that money has to come from somewhere.

This isn't a criticism of FitNotes or its developer — building a free app and maintaining it is generous work. But it's a real consideration when you're choosing where to store years of workout history. An app that makes money can afford to keep shipping updates when Apple or Google changes something, maintain the servers that keep your data safe, and fix bugs when they appear. An app that doesn't make money relies entirely on the developer's goodwill and free time — which can change.

RepCount's free tier is built on a sustainable model. The logging experience is complete enough that people genuinely use it for years without paying. And enough people choose to upgrade to premium that we can keep building, keep the servers running, and keep shipping updates. Your data is safe because keeping it safe is part of the business, not a side project.

What happens when you outgrow free?

Not everyone needs premium. Plenty of lifters use RepCount's free tier for years — logging workouts, checking their last session, and getting stronger. The core loop of "see what you did, try to beat it" doesn't require charts or statistics.

But if you want to zoom out — see your strength trends over months, track personal records across every rep range, use supersets and drop sets in your training — RepCount Premium is $29.99/year.

For comparison: Strong is $29.99/year. Hevy is $23.99/year or $99 lifetime. JEFIT is $69.99/year. StrengthLog is $109/year.

The prices are similar across the board (with StrengthLog as the expensive outlier). The real difference isn't what premium costs — it's what you get before you pay. RepCount gives you a complete workout logger on free with no limits on the basics. Competitors push you toward premium faster by limiting routines, custom exercises, or how far back you can see your own data.

All your workout history carries over when you upgrade. Nothing changes except you unlock more depth. And if you ever cancel, your logging experience stays exactly the same.

The things nobody tells you about "free" apps

A few things I've learned from 13 years in this space.

"Free with ads" isn't free. You're paying with attention and screen real estate between sets — exactly when you need the interface to be clean, fast, and scannable. An ad banner during your rest period is a worse deal than it sounds.

Custom exercise limits are sneakier than routine limits. You notice when you can't create a fourth routine. You don't notice you've used your seventh custom exercise until you're mid-workout trying to add a movement and the app tells you to upgrade. By that point, you've invested weeks of training data.

Watch out for time-limited stats. Some apps show you 14 days or 3 months of your own data and lock the rest. You did the work. You logged every set. And now you can't look back at your own progress without paying. That's a frustrating wall to hit.

Know what you lose access to if you cancel premium. No app deletes your data, but features you were using (charts, advanced stats, extra routine slots) get locked again. If you built 10 routines on a premium plan that only allows 3 on free, you'll probably still have them but won't be able to edit or create new ones until you're back under the limit.

The most generous free tier doesn't matter if the app stops getting updated. Sustainability matters. A free app that doesn't make money is one change in the developer's life away from being abandoned — and your training data goes with it.

The best free app is the one that doesn't make you think about being on a free tier. If you're constantly bumping into limits, dismissing upgrade prompts, or working around restrictions, the app is working against you instead of for you.

How to choose

Choose RepCount if you want a complete, no-limits workout logger on free. If you value fast logging, a clean native interface, and not being pushed toward premium before you're ready. If you don't need social features and just want to get stronger.

Choose Strong if you want a focused tracker with Apple Watch support and don't mind the 3-routine limit on free.

Choose Hevy if social features and community are important to your motivation. Their free tier is more limited, but the social experience is the best in the category and premium is the cheapest if you decide to upgrade. Just keep an eye on that 7 custom exercise limit. You're likely to hit it eventually, and by then you'll have history you don't want to lose.

Choose JEFIT if you're a beginner who needs exercise guidance with video demonstrations and a large pre-built library. The interface can feel overwhelming compared to more focused trackers, and the ads and 14-day stats limit on free are worth knowing about upfront.

Choose StrengthLog if you want coach-written training programs and a generous free tier. Just know that premium is $109/year if you eventually want what's behind the paywall.

Choose FitNotes if you're on Android and want something completely free with no catch — but understand the trade-offs of an app with no revenue model.

Try RepCount

I built the free tier this way on purpose. I'd rather someone train with a great free logger than hit a paywall on their third routine and give up on tracking altogether.

The core job is simple: log your sets, see what you did last time, try to beat it. That's free in RepCount, forever.

Download it for free on iOS or Android. Use it for a month. If it's not for you, no hard feelings — one of the other apps I mentioned might be a better fit for how you train.

But I think you'll like it.

RepCount has been on the App Store since 2013 and has been featured in Apple's "Apps We Love." It's built by Siper Apps AB in Stockholm, Sweden.

Frequently Asked Questions

Which workout tracker is actually free?

RepCount gives you unlimited workouts, unlimited routines, and unlimited custom exercises with no ads on free. Statistics and charts are premium. Most competitors limit routines (Strong: 3, Hevy: 4), custom exercises (Hevy: 7), or show you ads (JEFIT). FitNotes is completely free on Android but doesn't have cloud sync or regular updates.

Is RepCount really free or is there a catch?

The core workout logger is complete and free — no limits on logging, no ads, no time restrictions. Detailed statistics, charts, personal records across rep ranges, supersets, and drop sets are premium at $29.99/year. You can train with the free version for years without hitting a wall.

How many routines can I create on free workout trackers?

RepCount: unlimited. Strong: 3. Hevy: 4. JEFIT: limited. StrengthLog: generous. The routine cap matters more than you'd think once you start rotating training blocks or keeping templates for different situations.

Can I see my workout stats for free on most tracker apps?

It depends on the app and what you mean by stats. RepCount shows your full workout history and last-session data on free — statistics and charts are premium. JEFIT limits stats to 14 days. Hevy locks stats beyond 3 months. Strong locks charts entirely. StrengthLog is generous with stats on free.

Is FitNotes better than RepCount since it's completely free?

FitNotes is 100% free with no premium tier, which is genuinely generous. The trade-off is that it's Android only, hasn't been significantly updated in years, has no cloud sync or cross-platform support, and there's no guaranteed continued development since there's no revenue model. RepCount's free tier gives you unlimited logging backed by an active business — meaning regular updates, cloud sync, and both iOS and Android support.

Which free workout trackers have the best App Store ratings?

Most of the apps in this comparison are rated 4.8 or above. RepCount holds a 4.9 on the US App Store and has been selected for Apple's "Apps We Love." Hevy also holds a 4.9 globally. Ratings this close say more about the category than any single app. Try the ones that match how you train and judge for yourself.

Can I switch from Strong or Hevy to RepCount?

Yes, but you'll be starting fresh. There's no way to import your workout history from other apps. The upside is that RepCount's free tier has no routine or exercise limits, so you won't hit the same walls.

What does RepCount Premium add?

Detailed charts and statistics (estimated 1RM trends, volume over time, heaviest weight), personal records tracked across every rep range, supersets, and drop sets. $29.99/year.

How much do workout tracker apps cost per year?

RepCount: $29.99. Strong: $29.99. Hevy: $23.99 (or $99 lifetime). JEFIT: $69.99. StrengthLog: $109. The prices are comparable except for StrengthLog, which is significantly more expensive than the rest.